Puyol doubt for Copa clash

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol is in doubt for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid with a hamstring injury.

The Catalan native was making his first appearance in three months on Saturday in their 1-1 La Liga draw with Jose Mourinho’s men, but was stretchered off at the hour mark of the top-of-the-table clash after incurring a slight hamstring strain, leaving him in doubt for the battle at Estadio de Mestalla.

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola indicated his Spanish centre-back was likely to reappear before season’s end for the defending league and cup champions, but Puyol’s exact prognosis was unclear.

“It’s not a serious injury and we will try to get him fit again for the future,” Guardiola said.

The stalemate at the Bernabeu all but secured Barcelona’s third successive league title, although their domestic aims will take a back seat in the coming weeks as they aim to fend off rivals Real in the Copa final and Champions League two-legged semi-final – three more clashes in total this campaign.